RESULTADOS: CONCEPTOS GENERALES DE ENERGÍA BIOMASA

Book covers captivate the gaze, they capture interest and they do this with the intent to sell the book and in so doing entice readers to its content. But it is often the author’s scholastic record that markets the book. Both authors in my research appeal to Māori, indigenous peoples and as Knudsen (2004) would term it, ‘the occasional cultural peeper’. The impact of colonialism provides the backdrop for each author’s analysis of Māori. However, the key message from each book is about progress and essentially about a positive Māori future. Each text focuses on Māori priorities, that is, what Māori want and about Māori values, culture and language being the central Kaupapa. The references to indigenous peoples ensure the reader is mindful of a collective voice as indigenous peoples.

Yet their book covers attach another way of viewing the textual content. The cover of Linda Smith’s book differs considerably to Mason Durie’s book cover. Not only are they different in design but it is through the message inherent in the design that the difference is noticeable. The initial publisher for Smith’s book is overseas company Zed Publisher’s which may explain why the content is absent on the cover. Chapter five shows how Smith’s book cover constrains the voice within the textual content. Canagarajah (2002) argues that publishers reconfigure writing within dominant discourses. As Smith’s book cover demonstrates her content emerges as a minority voice within mainstream research. The book’s content has a Kaupapa Māori approach that fades into obscurity on the cover.

In contrast, however, Durie’s book cover drew attention to his content and himself. Huia Publishers is a Wellington based publisher that specialises in Māori education resources for Māori medium education. Durie’s cover reflects a difference in treatment of book covers compared to mainstream publishers. The title and front cover image for Durie’s book reveals a Māori centred understanding of Durie’s content. Smith (1999) discusses authentic and essentialism to demonstrate the difference between Western and indigenous ways of defining oneself or collective selves for indigenous peoples. She writes,

“The arguments of different indigenous peoples based on spiritual relationships to the university, to the landscape and to stones, rocks, insects and other things, seen and unseen, have been difficult arguments for Western systems of knowledge to deal with or accept.” (p 74)

Authenticating the author and textual content on book covers is important. Durie’s (2003) book cover demonstrates that there is a publisher whose publishing practice enabled them to link his content to the cover. His book cover went beyond making a connection to the content, the cover brought attention to relationships between Māori, to whakapapa and incorporated Māori values.

The politics involved in gaining national and international credence through publishing reveals that publishing is tricky business. Access to a publishing house may be a problem but getting content into print seems to take precedence over how the book is presented via book covers. I content that book covers are important; they facilitate meaningful messages too. As well as capturing the textual content, the cover authenticates the author and this is important.

The methodological approach and research methods of this study helped inform and guide the research. However, in retrospect the research methods namely the design principles raised issues of approach for further study of this nature. In many ways the principles are easily comprehended as a focus on design rather than addressing the key research questions. In trying to re-address the limitations these principles posed, Durie’s chapter lent itself to a Māori centre framework. The first part of his title Ngā

Kāhui Pou provided a framework to unpack his book cover. However, Durie’s connection to Ngā Kāhui Pou through the oriori Uiui Noa Au was not apparent till the research was nearing completion. Despite this setback, the waiata is included in an examination of Durie’s book cover.

Issues of publishing practice are understood within a broader understanding of power, authenticity and hegemony. Because this research was confined to two pages, that is a front cover and a back cover, the focus was publishing. The literature review picks up a number of theories and publishing practices that focus on academics. Finding literature with a focus on Māori academics who publish was difficult resulting in the need to

incorporate indigenous academics, periphery academics and marginalized academics. Their theories and practice helped a more extensive understanding of why Māori academics should consider their book covers important. As well as capturing the practice of publishing, the analysis of the book covers revealed that academics tend not to take care of their covers.

And it is for this reason that the research shows that it is important for Māori academics to look at their book covers. Control of their covers helps develop congruence between cover the content. Making a difference through writing text is as equally important as conveying messages through book covers.

Books like Durie’s and Smith’s provide a critical alertness about their communities that speak out to a public sphere by presenting an analysis and summation that differs from a dominant viewpoint. The sometimes savage publishing world may at least to the authors be less important than getting the word out. Said (1994) refers to intellectuals in exile, a term he uses to describe academics whose,

“exilic displacement means being displaced from the usual career, in which doing well and following in time honoured footsteps are the main milestones. Exile means that you are always going to be marginal and what you do as an intellectual has to be made because you cannot follow the prescribed path.” (p 62)

Said does not imply an intellectual in exile is hostile or disobedient. But as intellectuals and members of marginalized communities they have different histories, experiences and understanding of their communities that differ to dominant views. The impetus to write about their communities avoids mainstream alignment.

Covering a cover is serious business to publishers. As Said (2004) asserts publishing is a selective and calculated process. Cover to cover is a cover story not a cover up because it is about judging a book by its cover.